Adjustable eye shield for welder helmets



Dec. 24, 1957 S. L. RUSH ADJUSTABLE EYE SHIELD FOR WELDER HELMETS Filed July 20, 1956 United States Patent ADJUSTABLE EYE SHIELD FOR WELDER HELMETS Stanley L. Rush, Baton Rouge, La.

Application July 20, 1956, Serial No. 599,161

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-8) This invention relates to face and eye protectors and shields, and more particularly to an eye or face shield for a welders hood or helmet.

The main object of my invention is to provide a welders hood or helmet with a special shield capable of shielding and protecting the face, and particularly the eyes from slag, sparks and hot metal during a welding operation when the hood or helmet is raised to allow maximum view of the work upon which the welding is being done.

Another object of this invention is to provide a welders helmet with an adjustable eye shield that may be raised out of action or pulled down into effective position at will.

A further object of the invention is to have a transparent eye shield adjustably mounted upon a welders helmet, forming an adjustable second window for the latter through which the welder may view the work in perfect safety during welding.

It is also an object of the invention to combine a welders hood or helmet with an attached but adjustable eye shield that can function alone as a shield when the helmet proper is raised out of action for a better view of a work piece than afforded by the fixed window of the helmet.

A practical object is likewise to have such a helmet and eye shield in combination whhich is easy to make and low in cost, yet effective and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a welders hood or helmet with an eye shield thereon made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the helmet and shield in actual use by a welder, but with the helmet proper in operative position while the eye shield is raised out of action;

Figure 3 is a similar side elevation to that of Figure 2, but showing the helmet raised to take its window out of action and the eye shield lowered into operative position for viewing the work through it; and Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in section of a modification of the invention.

In these views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts and features.

When welding and brazing, it is usual to use at least special goggles to protect the eyes, but these leave much to be desired, for a space always exists between the nose and the eye on either side by which chips and hot debris can enter to endanger the eyes. Welders often use hoods or helmets which are provided with an intermediate window for viewing the field of operation. The view is often none too clear, so that a welder may tend to raise the hood and risk exposing his eye to danger, rays and 2 ,817,087 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 hot metal and sparks, etc., rather than take the trouble of putting on goggles temporarily to obtain a clear view of the work to be done. This situation presents a problem that calls for solution.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that a helmet or hood used during welding operations should have a special face and eye shield mounted thereon in adjustable condition, so that it may be raised or lowered at will. As a result of such consideration I have succeeded in producing a combined welders helmet and eye and face shield or protector along the lines already indicated, which will now be described in detail in the following, due reference being had to the drawing previously mentioned.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, a welders hood or helmet, generally indicated at 5 primarily includes the sheet metal or plastic or even fibre sheet curved body 6 having the forward cowl 7 the intermediate fixed window 8, rear forehead protector 9 and the two side pivot mountings 10 (one shown) connecting the hood to a head harness 11 fitting the head 12 of the Welder. The side pivot mountings allow the hood to be lowered into active use of fixed window 8, with the hood fully protecting the face 13 of the welder 14 as best seen in Figure 2. The front cowling '7 comes beneath the chin 15 and is provided with the concavely curved front edge 16 to clear the throat and chest.

However, the helmet is equipped with an arcuate and transparent plastic face and eye shield 17 which narrows toward the ends 18, 18 pivotally connected to the inner sides of the helmet by pivoting rivets or the like 19, 19 in such position that this shield may be raised up to an idle position indicated in broken lines at 20, and also swung down into active protective position as shown in Figure 3. The helmet may be swung up or raised upon its pivot mountings 10 to occupy the raised idle position shown in said Figure 3 when the work field is to be seen more clearly than may be done through window 8, such raised position of the helmet exposing the front arcuate edge 16 of cowl 7. By the very nature of its profile, this upwardly arched edge afiords clearance for the welder to see the work field indicated at 21. It is when the helmet is in this position that the shield is intended to come into play. Thus, the shield 17 may then be swung down by the hand 22 of the welder to occupy the lowered position shown in said Figure 3, so that the shield intervenes between the face and eyes of the welder 14 and the work field 21 in perfect safety to his eyes, due to the transparent nature of the shield. The latter is raised again when the helmet as a whole 5 is to be brought down for active use.

In order to ensure that the shield remains in raised idle position when it is not to be used, the lower or front edge 23 has a resilient hooked finger piece or latch 24 adapted to engage frictionally with a small projection or lip 25 on the edge 26 on the helmet in such manner as to be readily releasable by the finger 27, allowing the shield of Figure 4 to swing down by gravity into effective position. When this shield is no longer to be used, it may simply be swung up again to engage its latch 24 with the lip 25 on the helmet edge 26 and the shield will be retained in raised position until again released.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claim.

Having not fully described my invention, I claim:

An eye and face shield for a welders helmet having a hood proper and an intermediate fixed window therein, said shield comprising, in combination, a single cylindrical segment of transparent sheet material, said segment being pivotally mounted upon the helmet for rotation between an operative and an inoperative position, said shield in said inoperative position being disposed within from said operative position to said inoperative position the outline of the helmet and in said operative position to maintain the parts in saidinoperative relationship. projecting outwardly beyond said outline of said helmet, said shield in said operative position further projecting en s Cited in the file Of this patent forwardly from the front edge of said helmet and defining 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS an adjustable window therewith, said shield having a latch disposed along the edge adjacent to said helmet shlplpan 1954 2 Salmmen June 19, 1956 when in said inoperative position, and said helmet having 7 755 476 B J l 2 4 1956 a corresponding lip projecting into locking engagement owers u y with said latch, said latch member and said lip being fric- 10 tionally engaged in response to movement of said shield 

